American Canyon crafting law to stop cutting through property

AMERICAN CANYON -- City and police officials are scrambling to craft an ordinance making it illegal to cut through private property to avoid traffic; something many people thought was already illegal, officials said.

This has been a problem for some time especially at Donaldson Way and Highway 29, where traffic congestion sometimes prompts drivers to cut through the gas station there, Police Chief Jean Donaldson said. A state vehicle code section that prohibits passing on the right and leaving the roadway, has long been interpreted by American Canyon police and others to apply to cutting through private property. A judge recently ruled that was a misinterpretation, Donaldson said.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Chris Parker said he's "a little surprised" on one hand, to learn that driving maneuver is technically legal. It makes sense, though when you realize "you can't interpret the intent of the driver going to the business, so it would be hard to enforce," he said.

After researching the matter, Parker said he found nothing in the vehicle code that specifically makes that move illegal.

"My own personal opinion is, though, is that it's dangerous," Parker said. "There are pedestrians there who aren't expecting there to be through traffic, since it's not a roadway. I recommend being patient, and waiting until it's safe to make your turn at the light. It's not worth the few seconds you might save."

At the last City Council meeting, councilwoman Belia Ramos Bennett asked that an ordinance be created making "taking cutsies" through private property to avoid traffic illegal. That ordinance is in the works, Donaldson said.

"We also thought it was already illegal; it's been unclear for a long time," he said. "Cities have to pass specific laws, because it's not illegal now, as long as it's done safely."

Since a judge, working with CHP and others on the state's vehicle code ruled on the matter about three weeks ago, American Canyon police are "going to do what the judges say, and not cite for it, until a new ordinance is crafted. But we will still have officers monitoring the intersection and issuing citations to unsafe drivers."

One plus of making this a local law is that fines collected for infractions stay in the city, Donaldson said.

Contact staff writer Rachel Raskin-Zrihen at (707) 553-6824 or rzrihen@timesheraldonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at RachelVTH.